And the top IrishCentral stories of 2013 were...envelope please!

It was a good year. In 2013, IrishCentral reached 2 million unique visitors a month, doubling the 2012 milestone of 1 million uniques. So what are our almost 70,000 daily readers interested in?

If the most popular articles of 2013 are any indication, heritage and roots rank high, with explorations of top family names, the ‘Black Irish,’ and the potential origins of Celtic red hair among the most read.

The relative attractiveness and unattractiveness of Irish women and men, and the world-ranking sexiness of the Irish accent, sparked some debate, as did the question of the best places to visit in Ireland.

Two lonely Irishmen captured readers’ attention: Barry Edgar Pilcher, the last resident of the Donegal island of Inishfree, at the start of the year, and James Gray, the London-based pensioner who took out a heartbreaking advert for company on Christmas, at the close.

The most compelling news items included a tragic discovery in Phibsboro, Hillary Clinton’s health scare, the secret wedding of Pierce Brosnan’s late daughter, and the discovery of a photo of Michael Collins taken just hours before his death:

IrishCentral brings you the low down on the top 100 most common Irish surnames with a little explanation of where these names come from. Whether you're looking to trace your family crest or trying to trace your family roots this list will point you in the right direction...

The term 'Black Irish' has commonly been in circulation among Irish emigrants and their descendants for centuries. As a subject of historical discussion the subject is almost never referred to in Ireland. There are a number of different claims as to the origin of the term, none of which are possible to prove or disprove...

Irish women are among some of the best looking in the world, according to the latest ranking by an international dating website. Despite the success of Irish females, Irish men were ranked as the globe's third ugliest...